Thank you Lord!

Sometimes we ask God to help us do something and when He does we are shocked. Why do we do that?

This email I received is about one of the novels I have written. If it ever gets published I want to give part of anything I would make on it to the crisis pregnancy center and to a domestice violence center.

Maybe later I will put the first 15 pages and the synopsis on here so others can read it.

Subject: Genesis Contemporary Fiction update
To:
Date: Thursday, April 19, 2012, 12:00 AM

Congratulations your entry is moving on to the second round!!!!

You will not have to do anything at this point. Later this week the second round judges, all pubbed authors, will receive your entry and they have to return their scores by May 28th. You will hear a day or two after that who the three finalists are. If you are one of those, you will receive your scored entries and have two full days to tweak your entry and send it back to me. I will then send it on to the final round judges. The final winner will be announced in September at the ACFW conference banquet.

Congratulations again! May God bless your writing journey.

                                                                       Why Write?

“This shall be written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be created shall

praise the LORD.” Psalms 102:18

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            One of the questions people have asked me lately is “who do you want to write?” The only answer I have for them is “because I can’t not write.”  We all have a need to communicate and writing is the way I want to do it, maybe because I’m not much of a talker.

            I am compelled to write like my grandchildren are compelled to dance when they hear music. Many times when they come to my house, they want me to turn on the juke box so they can dance. The dancing is a way for them to communicate the joy that is in their hearts. Their resulting laughter then communicates their joy to me. It is a lovely sound to this grandmother’s ears!

            Even little Natalie, before she could walk, would begin to bounce and giggle when she saw the others doing it. Watching my grandchildren express their joy is a profound experience for me so I must write about it. Writing is my way of communicating my feelings of joy, although I can giggle with the best of them.  

            I have been writing for years but have never really felt the need to share it with others until recently. As I reflect back on my life, I recognize God has been very faithful to me. Not only has He blessed me tremendously, but He has been my strength during the difficult times of life. He has taught me some valuable lessons.

            I recognize my vocabulary is limited, my writing technique far from perfect and my ideas sometimes irrelevant to anyone but me, but that is okay. I am writing because God has filled my mind and my heart so full, I have to pour it out someway and this seems to the best way for me. If He can use my words to help someone else that will make me happy too.

            There may be a selfish reason why I want to write too. Anne Frank explained it best when she said, “I want to go on living even after my death.  Therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me.”

            As a hospice nurse, I recognize that many people come to the end of their lives and wonder if they will be missed and remembered.  My children and grandchildren may not remember anything I ever said to them but I hope they never forget how much I loved them. And maybe if I leave behind a few encouraging words that I have written, it will help to make their lives a little bit richer.

© Brenda J. Young RN, C.H.P.N.